Representing Jesus well

Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe, 06 July 2025
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Isaiah 66:10-14 ><}}}*> Galatians 6:14-18 ><}}}*> Luke 10:1-12

*Photo by author, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.*

Finally, we hit the fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time with Luke as our guide after a month of Solemnities.

We are at the turning point in the gospel of Luke – chapter 9 and first half of chapter 10 – where Jesus was identified by Peter as the Messiah (9:20) while Jesus for the first time made known his coming pasch (9:22). From this point on, Luke tells us of how Jesus “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem” (9:51) to fulfill his mission as they took a detour from a Samaritan town that had refused them passage (9:53). After this scene comes our gospel this Sunday.

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household’… Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you and enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'” (Luke 10:1-5, 7-9)

First thing we notice about discipleship according to Jesus is that it is never easy, “behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” Disciples need to be “resolutely determined” in the mission like Jesus, focused only on Jesus.

Early in his teachings during the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus enunciated in his Beatitudes the contradictions of his life and teachings to the ways of the world his followers have to imitate. Hence, his list of “do’s” and “don’ts” of discipleship in today’s gospel.

Do’s: greet peace every household they entered; stay in same house; eat and drink whatever is offered; cure the sick; and proclaim “the kingdom of God is at hand.”

Don’ts: no money, no sack, no sandals, no greetings along the way, and do not move about from one house to another.

Notice there are five do’s and five don’ts. And there are only two “do’s” that require speaking: to greet every household with peace and then the other is to proclaim to everyone the kingdom of God is at hand (10:5, 9) which is the sum of discipleship in Christ.

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2025.*

“Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household'”…

The only valuable we as disciples of Christ must have is peace that we have to offer generously to everyone.

Peace is the work of the Holy Spirit, a sign of the coming of the Kingdom of God as the angels proclaimed on Christmas, “on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Lk. 2:14). Most of all, peace is the fruit of Easter that the Risen Lord offered his disciples upon seeing them on that evening, “Peace be with you” (Jn.20:19).

Vatican II defined peace “is not merely the absence of war… but the fruit of love which goes beyond what justice can provide” (Gaudium et Spes 78). Peace is something we all have to work and strive for, entailing wounds and sacrifices for us to achieve it by cooperating with the grace of Jesus Christ in overcoming sin and evil. It is a process that never stops, calling for perseverance and daily conversion on our part.

Peace comes when we disciples are open for Christ, for others, and for change and transformation. That is why Jesus insisted us his disciples not to bring anything material that may influence our dealings with others, especially with those who are poor.

The great irony of our time is that the more we have grown affluent with wealth and material things, the more we have become empty in meaning and directions in life. So many are disturbed, longing for peace but could not have it because we the disciples are also lost in the things and the ways of the world.

“…cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'”

In the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary introduced by St. John Paul in 2002 is its third mystery, the proclamation of the Kingdom of God.

It is truly a mystery of light because Jesus is the Kingdom of God! To proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God is to proclaim the coming of Jesus Christ in our midst. When John the Baptist’s disciples asked Jesus if he was the One they were waiting for or had to wait for another, Jesus said in reply, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Lk.7:22).

Where there is healing, there is new life, there is proclamation of the good news, there is Jesus Christ! Proclaiming the Kingdom of God is representing Jesus in our lives, in our mission.

In the previous chapter and scenes before our gospel this Sunday, Jesus asked his disciples what people said about him, the very same gospel we have last Sunday during the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Recall how Jesus was mistaken for John the Baptist, Elijah and Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

That’s the problem we still have today: many followers of Jesus do not represent him well that people are lost at who he really is! And it first happens right in the Sunday Eucharist as noted by a Facebook group called Catholic Fortress in its series this past week.

Many reacted positively for the series that was really good and timely for us priests and ministers at the altar who have unconsciously abused the Mass, unknowingly deviating from Christ himself who could no longer be found and experienced by the people. Truly the Mass is about Jesus; but, when it becomes like a showbiz with so many ek-ek and palabas by the priest, the servers and ministers and the choir, then it leads us away from Jesus who is paloob or inside our hearts.

In 400 AD, St. Augustine wrote the first manual for catechism called De Catechizandis De Rudibus (On Instructing Beginners) detailing, step by step the many things to consider and lessons to teach people being prepared for Baptism. From a simple request by his deacon named Deogratias, St. Augustine came up with an entire book on how to catechize with a final lesson that is the heart of his book when he wrote, “Remember, the catechist is the lesson himself.”

The same thing is very true with us priests and altar ministers and every disciple of Jesus Christ! Do we have Jesus Christ or not especially in the celebration of the Holy Mass where we proclaim the Kingdom of God is at hand and share peace with everyone?

How can there be peace of Christ among us when priests fail to love first of all Jesus in prayers as reflected in his love for the people by preparing for the Mass so that the sick and the burdened may experience Jesus – not an actor or actress of a telenovela no matter how popular it may be?

Where is the Kingdom of God when people have to bear the tantrums and antics and hangups of their priest as they already have so much burdens in life? Or, when people have a hard time tightening their belts and the priest keeps on asking for collections without any reports?

Where is the Kingdom of God when priests play favorites among the parishioners and servers, when some support Pride Movement and corrupt officials?

How can there be peace when all we have in the Mass is clapping of hands that we never have time to listen to God speaking to us in silence?

*Photo by author, St. Joseph’s Chapel of the Order of Friars, Tagaytay City, 17 January 2025.*

This Sunday, Jesus invites us to examine our faith journey in him if we are still following him or somebody else.

Let us pray for that grace to represent Jesus well always in our lives as priests and laity alike that we truly become the Body of Christ, his presence on earth.

It is the relationships that we have with God that matters in discipleship which Isaiah likened to that of a mother and child in the first reading. This finds it fulfillment when like St. Paul in the second reading, it is Christ’s Cross that we carry in ourselves – not bags nor money nor self and fame. Amen. Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela City.

Yes & No, Salt & Light

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 10 June 2025
2 Corinthians 1:18-22 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Matthew 5:13-16

*Photo by Valeria Boltneva on Pexels.com*

What a great way to resume
the Ordinary Time this Tuesday,
Lord Jesus Christ as your words 
today invite us to examine 
some of the most "ordinary" things
in life we take for granted.

Brothers and sisters: As God is faithful, our word to you is not “yes” and “no.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not “yes” and “no,” but “yes” has been in him (2 Corinthians 1:18-19).

Many times in our answers
of yes or no we cannot even make
a clear stand in you, Jesus;
like Paul,
give us the strength and courage
to mean "yes" in you, Jesus;
let our "yes"
to your gospel,
to your love and justice,
to your kindness and forgiveness
be a resounding "Amen"
in Christ, without any reservations,
without ifs nor buts
but a firm "yes, Lord!"

Teach to become
the salt of the earth bringing out
the flavor and goodness
of every person like what salt
does to our food;
at the same time,
let your light shine in us,
Jesus, to bring out the light,
the beautiful colors of every person
around us with our witnessing
to you, Jesus.
Amen.

*From The Fatima Tribune, Red Wednesday 2024.*

Resuming Ordinary Time by devoting ourselves to prayer with Mary

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, 09 June 2025
Acts 1:12-14 <*{{{{>< <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> ><}}}}*> John 19:25-27

*Painting by El Greco, “Pentecostes” (1597) from commons.wikimedia.org.*

Praise and glory to you,
Lord Jesus in inspiring the Church
in its most recent celebration of
the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of the Church every Monday
after Pentecost when we resume
Ordinary Time; it is so right and fitting
that after your return to heaven,
you send us to the world to continue
your work of salvation by being rooted
in you in prayer,
not just by ourselves
but with Mary your Mother,
your first disciple,
the first doer of your word,
the first to receive you, 
Jesus the Christ.

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet…Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers (Acts 1:12, 13-14).

*Icon of Mary “Mater Ecclesiae” (Mother of the Church) in St. Peter’s Square from opusdei.org.*

Since the very start of the Church,
you have always been with her,
truly her Mother being the
Body of Christ your Son;
all your life,
you have devoted yourself
into prayer as a communion
in Jesus Christ which is essentially
what discipleship is - prayer!

As we resume the Ordinary Time,
teach us Mother Mary to remain in
union with Jesus in prayer:

let us be one with Jesus your Son
to make our joy complete 
not only in listening and receiving
his word but most especially
in doing his words;

let us be one with Jesus your Son
for us to persevere in our sorrows
by finding him always in every suffering
by embracing his Cross;

let us be one with Jesus your Son
so that glory and victory may not
inflate our ego, 
realizing everything
is for God's greater glory;

let us be one with Jesus your Son
for us to remain in his light of the
Holy Spirit in this time 
we are engulfed in darkness of sin 
and materialism,
pride and power,
vanity and self-centeredness.

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, Quezon City, 20 March 2025.*

O most Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of Christ
and our Mother too,
be our companion in this
long journey in Ordinary Time,
knowing Jesus,
loving Jesus,
following Jesus,
always leading and pointing
others to Jesus
to be like Jesus.
Amen.

Yes, God is one of us, among us.

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Week I in Ordinary Time, Year I, 15 January 2025
Hebrews 4:12-16 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 2:13-17

*Photo by author, Northern Blossom Farm, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.*

therefore, he (Jesus) had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested (Hebrews 2:17-18).

How lovely are your words today,
dearest Jesus!
They are so true!
While others are still wondering,
asking "what if God is one of us",
we have always believed
and have experienced 
God truly one of us,
among us,
and within us
in you, 
Jesus Christ.

How sad that many of us humans
are more inclined to believe
in things and persons bigger than
than ourselves,
not realizing our greatness 
in being small that even you,
O Son of God,
chose to be like us,
little and vulnerable
so that we can be like you,
divine and eternal.

Teach us to see more of your
person, of your being one of us,
dearest Jesus, 
for us to experience your 
authority and power;
like Simon and Andrew,
teach us to have that intimacy
with you Lord that,
"immediately" they told you about
Simon's mother-in-law being sick;
most of all, let me be one with
my own brothers and sisters 
like you, Jesus,
"approaching them,
grasping them,
and helping them 
rise up when they are 
down"
(Mark 1:31)
Amen.

*Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law, a mosaic in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Monreale, Sicily, from christianiconography.info.*

New teaching & authority

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, First Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, 14 January 2025
Hebrews 2:5-12 <'[[[[>< + ><]]]]'> Mark 1:21-28

*Photo by author, Sakura Park, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2024.*

"Jesus came to Capernaum
with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered
the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished 
at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority...
All were amazed and asked
one another, 'What is this?
A new teaching with authority'"
(Mark 1:21-22, 27).

When does a teaching
sound new?
When the teaching makes
an impact on me.
But how?

I have been wondering, 
Jesus, of being there with you
in the synagogue that sabbath;
what was so new with your
teaching?

It was and still is the authority,
and your authority comes not
from your power nor position,
Lord Jesus: your authority is so felt
because you are one with us,
you have always been with us.

What's new with your teaching,
Jesus, is the authority that inversely
makes us free,
liberates us from fears
and false presuppositions,
never oppressive nor
subjugating.
A teaching is new when 
there is authority that does
not impose but rather
liberates others
because 
it is the Truth (John 8:32) -
Jesus himself who claimed
"A am the way the truth and the life"
(John 14:6).

More than words and power,
teaching and authority
are felt and become liberating
in the real sense,
ever new,
so fresh  
that it is not subjugating
because 
in the final analysis
it is the person
who loves and cares,
wiling to sacrifice and suffer
for another.
Exactly like Jesus.
This new year, O Lord,
make me new
a teaching so true
as a person so loving
and caring like you.
Amen.

*Photo by authoir, Northern Blossom, Atok, Benguet, 27 December 2025.*

Ordinarily extraordinary

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Week I in Ordinary Time, Year I, 13 January 2025
Hebrews 1:1-6 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Mark 1:14-20

*Photo by author, Mt. St. Paul Spirutality Center, Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet, 04 January 2025.*

Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word (Hebrews 1:1-3).

O how lovely and so deep,
dear God are your words 
on this first day of Ordinary Time;
they are so touching and personal
yet very ordinary,
common,
and typical.

That is how we take the word
"ordinary" so often -
lacking in special or 
distinctive features
that we take for granted 
anything ordinary
because it is...
ordinary.

Maybe this is the reason why we
find it so hard to really believe
in you, Father;
when you sent us your Son,
Jesus Christ, the "refulgence" or
reflection of your glory and
"imprint" of your being,
we find him so ordinary 
because we wanted someone more,
someone bombastic,
someone so different from us,
not so like us
because we feel so ordinary.

It is so funny and silly
of us, God, that we 
cannot accept you in Jesus
who became human like us,
who chose to be ordinary,
preferring to be poor than rich,
simple than complicated
yet so kind, so very much akin to us
in everything except sin;
instead of being honored
and grateful in your choosing
to be ordinary like us,
we rejected him
and us in the process.

Open our minds and our hearts
to your coming to us in Jesus like
the brothers Simon and Andrew,
James and John
who left everything behind to follow
Jesus whom they have found to be
extraordinarily ordinary;
may we find meaning in life
in Jesus your Son in whom
the ordinary is actually the
orderly order of things in life
with you Father always above all.
Amen.

*Photo by author, sunrise at Mt. St. Paul Spirituality Center, Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet, 06 January 2025.*

The gift of persons

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity-B, 26 May 2024
Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 ><}}}*> Romans 8:14-17 ><}}}*> Matthew 28:16-20

*Photo by author, the Holy Trinity as depicted at the Parish of St. John the Baptist, Calumpit, Bulacan, March 2021.*

We are now into the Ordinary Time and for the next two consecutive Sundays we are celebrating three important Solemnities in the next three weeks.

First in these series of Solemnities in Ordinary Time is that of the Most Holy Trinity, the highest truth in our faith which is our belief in One God in three Persons. Contrary to common beliefs, mysteries can be explained and understood, but, not fully well. After all, mysteries are not really meant to be solved but simply be lived and enjoyed like the mystery of the person which is in the heart of the Most Holy Trinity: How can there be three Persons in one God?

Moses said to the people: “Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terror, all of which the Lord, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?”
Deuteronomy 4:32-34

*Photo by author, sunrise at the Lake of Galilee in Israel, May 2019.*

Our first reading this Sunday invites us too to examine ourselves and our lives to see how God has been so personal, so relational with us. As we say in Tagalog, “Sigue nga, paano mo naranasan ang Diyos?”

How did you experience God? Was it not just like the way we experienced other people in our relationships?

Very often when we meet people, our tendency to welcome or accept them were a result of their conduct, of their approach to us. If they are kind and good natured and warm, we are easily disarmed and we feel like knowing them.

That is what Moses was telling his people at that time, including us today: recall how personal was God in dealing with us with all His warmth and love because they indicate relationships and therefore, another person to relate with.

*“The Trinity” (1425-27), an icon by Russian artist Andrei Rublev from wikipedia.org.*

Remember how the books of the bible were written: the first questions the biblical writers asked were not the origins of the world but those asked by Moses today. After they have experienced the kindness and love of God that they eventually asked and reflected on the origins (genesis) of everything on earth and the universe.

In that experience, they felt a relationship with a Father as source of all life like dads giving life as well as protecting life and giving back life to those who may have lost it. That personal experience of God as a Father so loving and caring moved the biblical writers too to ask and reflect on the presence of evil and sufferings as we find in the Wisdom books like the Psalms and the Book of Job.

There is always the primacy of God’s personal relationship and of His conduct towards us humans that prompt us to “know” Him, to believe Him. Like people dear to us, God first revealed Himself to us in the most personal manner through a succession of events and other people we have met and known. That is why when we say “I believe in God”, we not only express a concept but also a relationship. Most of all, in this relationship is a commitment too to get to know God as a person! Before knowing any details about God or people, we first have relationships no matter how little it may be at the start. Later, we get phone numbers and other contact details with people we meet because we feel “committed” to getting to know them more in the future. In a sense, we believe them that is why we keep in touch with them. The same is true with God.

*Photo by author, St. Catherine’s Monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai in Egypt, May 2019.*

The word person means “a conscious relating being”. Whether with God or with others, we experience the person and the relationship unfolding through time. There is always first the experience of a conduct like kindness before questions and details of a person come.

That word “kindness” actually indicates a relationship because its root is kin that means “one of us” or “of same tribe”. When we say “he is so kind to me”, it means he treats me as one of his family or his own. In that kindness and whatever good conduct present, there seems to be an “invisible line” linking us with people we meet. Or with God which the Holy Spirit does.

Of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is the most elusive in nature and yet, it is the most frequently and concretely in contact with us. It is the principle of unity in the Trinity and among us as we have reflected last Pentecost Sunday. Today, St. Paul explains to us how the Holy Spirit as a Person keeps these relationships among us and with God united and strong, enabling us to cry out “Abba” or “Our Father”. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the courage to keep our relationships as persons and with God especially at this modern time when some people refuse to recognize God and worst, some are bent in deleting God entirely from life.

That is why in today’s gospel, Jesus instructed His disciples including us today to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt.28:19-20). Persons always presuppose relationships; hence, the need to gather others always like what God did and continues to do in His Church.

It has been three weeks since my mother peacefully passed away. People ask me how am I doing. Truth is, I am not so well. I miss mommy so much. It is true we only realize the value of a person after he/she is gone. And it is most difficult with mothers!

*Photo by author, Mt. Sinai in Egypt, May 2019.*

Every time I come home, I have that strange feeling, wondering deep inside me of that great mystery, how did it happen that it was my mom – just one person – who had left us but our home has become so empty? Since May 7, that image of mommy’s empty room after her body was taken to the funeral had remained in my mind and as days passed, I have noticed how our home has been so hollowed when there are still my siblings and niece staying in the house?

That is the gift of person. A person fills not only spaces and homes but most of all, fills us. Every person fills another person in the same manner God first fills us with His love through persons dearest to us. That is why we believe in God.

Let us have good relationships with others so they may experience God too in their lives. Let us gather in the Father’s love in Jesus Christ to celebrate the gift of life together in the Holy Spirit through one another. Let us pray:

God our loving Father,
thank you for the gift of life,
for my gift of person
and for the gift of so many
persons in my life;
dwell in me, Holy Spirit,
fill me with your fire and life,
animate me with the Son's
justice and love
so that in myself
the mystery 
of the Blessed Trinity
be alive.
Amen.

Where?

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 21 May 2024
James 4:1-10 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Mark 9:30-37

"Beloved:
Where do the wars and
where do the conflicts 
among you come from?"
(James 4:1)

What a beautiful question
to ponder upon on this
second day of Ordinary Time,
Lord Jesus: the "where",
the origin,
the source,
the root
of our many desires
in life;
ultimately,
the question You have asked
Your disciples "What were
you arguing about on the
way?" (Mark 9:33)
leads also to the same
question of James of
"where".

Many times, 
O Lord, we presume
and insist we are on the 
right tracks,
on the right path
following the world
even if deep inside
we know we are lost,
we have gone astray,
that we are on the wrong
bearings in life
because we merely
follow the rest that like 
everybody, we end up
lost and more confused
than ever.

You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
James 4:2-3

Teach us, Jesus,
to bravely ask ourselves
from "where" are we coming from
in everything we are doing,
saying, and pursuing;
help us to be sincere
and humble of our "where"
wherever it may be;
most of all, 
let us ask too
"where" we are going to
"where" do we want to be.

During these 33 to 34 weeks
in Ordinary Time,
let us find, 
our bearing in YOU, Jesus
so that our "where" from
and "where" to would only
be YOU.
Amen.

*Photo by Mr. Vigie Ongleo, Sagada, Mt. Province, 2014.*

Mary, Mother of the Church, our model disciple & companion in the mission

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, 20 May 2024
Acts 1:12-14 ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> John 19:25-34

What a wonderful way 
of assuring us today, dear Jesus,
at the resumption of Ordinary Time
of Your presence and guidance
throughout this year in giving 
us Your Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary
as "Mater Ecclesiae",
Mother of the Church.

From the very beginning,
during Your public ministry
until Your death on the Cross,
Mary Your Mother has always
stood by Your side, Jesus;
when You sent the Holy Spirit
on that Pentecost day in Jerusalem,
Mary was also present with
Your disciples praying in the
Upper Room: "All these
devoted themselves 
with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and his brothers" (Acts 1:12).

What a beautiful portrayal
of the Church on its very first day
as Your Body, O Christ, 
gathered in prayer with Mary 
whom You have given to us through
Your beloved disciple at the Cross:
"When Jesus saw his mother 
and the disciple there whom he loved,
he said to his mother, 'Woman,
behold your son.' 
Then he said to the disciple,
'Behold, your mother'" (John 19:26-27).

*Photo by author, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2024.*

As we resume today
Ordinary Time,
may we imitate Mary
Your Mother, O Lord,
in being a faithful disciple,
open to welcome
and accept You, Jesus,
saying "Yes" to Your will
like at the Annunciation;
let our faith in You be firm
like hers at the wedding at Cana
when she told You immediately
how the newly-weds have ran out
of wine, instructing the servants
to do whatever "he tells you";
most of all, like Mary,
let us remain intimate with You,
Jesus in prayers,
her most important trait
as Your faithful and model disciple.

Teach us, dear Jesus,
to be like Mary,
deeply absorbed in You
in prayers;
her standing at the Cross
was not a result of a spur in the moment
but the fruit of her long, vibrant prayer
life centered in You her Son;
unlike us, we come and pray
 to You only when we are
 going through trials and difficulties
but when everything is going well
in life, we hardly remember You, Lord,
nor pray at all.

All her life,
Mary lived in prayer,
in communion and oneness
in You, Jesus
that is why when the Church
was born on Pentecost,
Mary was there.
She has always been
with us as our Mother
and companion in mission;
let us be like Mary
in her discipleship that
is essentially 
a prayer life.
Amen.

*Photo by author, Della Strada Chapel, Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches, QC, 20 March 2024.*

True authority

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday in the First Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 09 January 2024
1 Samuel 1:9-20 <*((((>< + ><))))*> Mark 1:21-28

*Photo by Mr. Jay Javier, Quiapo, 09 January 2020.*

Praise and glory to you,
Lord Jesus Christ,
that today we shift into Ordinary Time
in our liturgy that coincides with
the annual Traslacion of the image
of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo,
Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno 
as you remind us too in our readings
true meaning of authority
we often relate with power.

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority not as the scribes.
Mark 1:21-22

People were astonished with your
authority, Lord Jesus, not only because
it is all-powerful but most of all,
it is most kind,
most compassionate,
most humane
because in your life,
in your very self as Jesus Nazareno,
you have shown us that 
authority is not just having 
power to make thing happen nor 
lording over others;
like in Quiapo today as in Capernaum,
we are astonished with your 
authority not because of its
powers of being efficacious
but because of your being so close
with us who are weak and suffering;
true authority for you, dear Jesus,
is to be one with the people -
in our miseries and anxieties,
in our pains and hurts,
as well as in our aspirations and dreams;
authority is most real,
most powerful
and most appreciated
when that authority
is felt as power for the people
to be healed and comforted,
raised up and inspired
like you have shown in your 
coming to us,
in your carrying the cross,
of your bearing our infirmities.
Like Hannah in the first reading,
we beg those authorities above us
to "think kindly" of us people;
many times,
people in authority lord it over us
like Eli initially, suspecting
Hannah being drunk,
scolding us,
reprimanding us,
worst, judging us
without even knowing 
our plight, so unlike you
who became poor like us,
most of all,
died for us.
Amen.